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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Bride Q & A: Justine

Today we have Justine from Little Dove Creations sharing her wedding with us! Take it away, Justine!When did you get married?

Mike and I got married on Friday, June 22, 2007, just 10 months after our first date, and 2 months after getting engaged!

Where did you get married?

We got married in Newport Beach, California, at the LDS temple there.

How did you meet your husband?

We met on a blind date! We got set up through the combined efforts of my mom, my cousin, and his brother. His brother and my cousin were roommates down in San Diego and I went down with my mom for a little girl's getaway (cause I'm cool and do things with my mom like that); somehow we got to talking about how he had a brother going to UCLA Dental School, and wasn't that close to me (I lived in Huntington Beach)?... Um, sort of.

Anyway, after a lot of my mom pestering my cousin, to pester his roommate, to pester his brother (did you follow that?) Mike called me and we set up a date.

By the way, I should mention that I was dating someone else at the time and my mom DID NOT like him. For good reason, but that's another story. ;)

What was your favorite part of the wedding?

Oh man, that's a tough one. I just remember being so carefree and happy all day long! I loved the actual ceremony, of course (it's called a sealing in our religion). I also really loved the food, lol. We had a chocolate fountain and it was delicious. We also had someone grilling kabobs and they were really good! Luckily, I was not one of those brides that didn't get to eat any of the food at her reception. Being surrounded by so many people that love you is a pretty awesome feeling too, how often do you have that many friends and family in one place?

How did you deal with any conflicts that came up?

Maybe we were just really lucky, or maybe because we did so much of it ourselves, but as a couple. we didn't really have any major conflicts that arose during the process. Mike wasn't really picky about anything, except that he really wanted a chocolate fountain (check) and he wanted to make sure the cake was good (he claimed that he had never had good wedding cake before).

With vendors, I guess I would say that quick and calm communication is key. There was a tiny issue with some of our invites (I can't even remember what the problem was now) and we just called them quickly and they rushed more out to us, no problem. There was also a small problem when I went back to the dress store for my first fitting, the dress was a little too loose in a couple areas, but they were able have it fixed in plenty of time for the big day.

Which vendor were you most financially invested in?

Are you glad you spent a little more on that particular vendor, than another?

Hmm... that's a good question. My advice to brides on a budget would be not to scrimp on a good photographer. There are so many other places that you can save or diy, but those are pictures you will have to remind you of the most important day of your life FOREVER. We were able to get a good deal because we found a photographer we liked who was kind of starting out, but still, that is where most of our money probably went, and I am not sorry at all.

What was your favorite item you received from your registry?

I would have to say our Kitchen-Aid mixer! I was so glad that we got that and I use it all the time!

Was there an item you didn't register for that you wish you had?

We didn't think to register for any grilling tools, and then someone bought us a set and we both were kind of like, "Duh, why didn't we think of that?!" My husband loves to grill (and now I do too) so we use those all the time still!

What have you learned most about marriage since you got married?

Honestly, again, maybe we are just really lucky, but I feel like we both went in to marriage kind of knowing what to expect. There haven't been many surprises or much of an adjustment period. I think the hardest part for me was more because I went from living at home, to living with my husband. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, all that stuff obviously, but it was still a little like, oh, now I'm someone's wife. I've always known that marriage is a team effort, you both have to give 100%, but I don't think you fully realize what that means until you're actually husband and wife.

Any advice for the future brides?

In our current world of Pinterest and the pressure of Instagram-worthy perfection, there is a feeling of everything having to be just so and doing everything yourself. And doing a little bit or even a lot bit yourself is fine, but just remember to stop and appreciate the process. Have fun. Take a break. Go get a manicure. Delegate. I was up late the night before my wedding hanging lanterns in a tent... don't be me. :) Maybe pick a couple of things that you really care about, and decide that the rest will be fine regardless.